Scrapping Article 370 will help Kashmir’s integration, says RSS chief

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The move to effectively scrap Article 370 will help integrate Kashmir with the rest of the country and Kashmiris do not need to worry about losing their jobs or land, said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday in an interaction with journalists from foreign media platforms.

The meeting, which was restricted to 80 journalists from 50 organisations, is an attempt by the RSS to articulate its stance on various issues from their demand for the construction of the Ram Temple to a nationwide ban on cow slaughter.

On the abrogation of the constitutional provision according special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Bhagwat said this had removed all barriers that had prevented Kashmir’s integration. Abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has been a long standing demand of the RSS. The Sangh has thrown its weight behind the union government’s decision to bifurcate the state into two union territories.

The RSS chief is also learnt to have explained the Sangh’s version of Hindutva and underscored that Hinduism is diversity in unity and it is a concept. Every Indian is a Hindu for the RSS, he said.

The RSS chief who was accompanied by the general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi also answered questions on issues of caste-based reservation, homosexuality and the ongoing NRC exercise in Assam.

He is learnt to have said that NRC is not about expelling people, but about identifying those who are not citizens of the country.

The RSS chief also articulated the Sangh’s support to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which proposes citizenship for non Muslims from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. He said there is no place for Hindus in the world except India.

The RSS chief also condemned lynching in the name of cow protection and said the Sangh condemns all forms of violence and if any Sangh volunteer is found guilty, the law will take its course.

The interaction, which lasted over two-and-a-half hours also saw Bhagwat speak on the need to create a consensus on a uniform civil code. He brushed aside concerns over the state of economy as a passing phase and underlined that there is no policy paralysis as was seen during the 10 years of UPA rule.

Commenting on the interaction, the RSS in a statement said, “This interaction was part of the continuous process where the Sarsanghchalak engages in constructive dialogue with people from different walks of the society.”

Last year, Bhagwat had a similar engagement in national capital Delhi during a three-day lecture series.